ORANGE'S housing could move towards more high rise in the centre of town as Orange City Council grapples with population growth.
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The council is currently developing a housing strategy lasting to 2036, which all NSW councils are required to complete.
Acting general manager David Waddell told councillors at Tuesday's meeting staff were currently assessing supply and demand across the city, with a draft plan expected to be released by October.
Orange can't continue to sprawl across a beautiful valued landscape so we need to look at whether our CBD needs more medium-density high rise in it.
- Acting general manager David Waddell
Asked after the meeting where future greenfields housing could be built, Mr Waddell said Orange had "interesting" geographical circumstances with the water catchment to the east and south, vineyards and undulating land to the west, plus high-value ecological land north of Waratahs and south to Mount Canobolas and conflict arising with industrial estates.
"Do we expand Shiralee? Do we allow housing in the water catchment? Do we expand towards the vineyards to the west? These are the key questions the study needs to answer," he said.
"Orange can't continue to sprawl across a beautiful valued landscape so we need to look at whether our CBD needs more medium-density high rise in it."
Mr Waddell said new homes were currently being built at a rate of 250 a year and the plan would cater to that growth - sewer and water infrastructure assessment will also form part of the research phase.
"Council has all the numbers on houses built, subdivisions built, we can tell the rate of take-up on housing blocks," he said.
Affordable and social housing, a recent contentious issue, will also form part of the plan, with consultation to occur on where it should occur.
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